The More Things Change
by lightanddarklove
Summary: Sequel to Things Change. When Beast Boy's depression over Terra's amnesia becomes too much, Raven helps him find comfort in the things he has. Oneshot. BBRae.


Beast Boy was sitting curled up in a little ball as a dog; breathing in the scent that had not left the room yet, since the last person that had come in besides him was only here two days ago. He took another deep sigh and uttered a low howl. He could not stand that his first love had returned to the land of the living but couldn't recall him at all. It was not so much that when the Titans returned from stopping the Brotherhood of Evil, the candy shop was gone, or that the video store was no longer there, or he no longer knew much about the layout of the city anymore, but that Terra, the girl that he thought as his one true love, no longer remembered him. Slade, or rather one of his robot duplicates, told him that she didn't want to remember. He would not believe this; he attempted to jar her memory, but to no avail. If she didn't want to remember, he couldn't say he blamed her. She no longer had to worry about dangerous missions, barking leaders, kooky aliens, technology-loving androids, moody half-demons, or lovesick companions. The burden of controlling her powers was also lifted. Her only problems were now with tests, teachers, homework, and popularity. For once, Beast Boy wished to be normal, if only to be with her. He was no longer content with life without the prospect of Terra retuning to him. He was tempted to throw himself off a bridge, for his Terra had died when she stopped the volcano to save their city so many moons ago. He bawled again, knowing he might force himself in this very spot until he died of dehydration.

His half-demon comrade looked up from the covered meal she had prepared for him. Her eyes saddened when she was no longer surprised by this cry. She sighed. She pitied his current circumstance. The traitor broke his heart a second time, she thought glaring. I know it's not her fault she can't remember, but Beast Boy doesn't deserve this. I really don't get why he hasn't found someone special yet.This was Raven's first attempt in trying to coax the tower's resident green changeling out of Terra's old room. After the Titan's battle with the shape-shifting monster, he ran straight to the old earth-bender's room. He instantly threw himself on to the bed and all was quiet. Robin had been the first to try and make Beast Boy feel better. Robin had asked him if there was something that he wanted to talk about, but Beast Boy simply replied, "I just need some time alone to think." When Raven first heard his odd response, she was tempted to say, "Hope he doesn't hurt himself trying to hard," but held it back. Bearing in mind Beast Boy's heavy emotional trauma, she knew she would get brutal death glares (a skill that she had perfected and knowing her friends reactions to hers, she would hate to get a taste of her own medicine) from the rest of the team. This morning, Cyborg had tried to convince their little green friend to come out with the temptation of a new video game, but Beast Boy politely (as he could considering the circumstances) declined. This time the team knew something was wrong. Beast Boy NOT want to play video games? Was the apocalypse returning? At lunchtime, Starfire tried tempting Beast Boy with tofu mixed with crushed zorka berries, but he kindly denied, claiming that he had not much of an appetite. Although no one would be mean enough to say something, they really couldn't blame him this time. After all, Starfire's cooking wasn't exactly top notch, and zorka berries are what mutated her pet into a gigantic silkworm. Now Raven was making an attempt to get Beast Boy out of his isolation using carefully prepared angel hair pasta in vodka sauce, with garlic bread and Caesar salad on the side. She also brought one of Beast Boy's favorite drinks: root beer. Hopefully this will make Beast Boy come out, or at least eat SOMETHING, Raven thought. 

Beast Boy raised his head and uttered another low howl. Raven sighed again, her eyes saddening more so. It frustrated her to see him so down. He was usually the joy of the tower, but his depression did not wish to cease. She couldn't blame him; this was the second time Beast Boy had been left heartbroken and Raven knew what it was like. Last time, when she thought to be her dream man used her and left her, only to free himself from a curse, Beast Boy had consoled her in her time of need. She hoped that now she could do the same for him.

She stopped in front of Terra's old door and sighed again. She paused, wondering if he had this much trouble trying to find the right things to say to her. She knocked lightly the icy cold door (it had been left untouched since lunchtime) and waited for a reply. Nothing. She couldn't have seen it, but all the tap on the door had done was make Beast Boy shove himself further underneath the covers. "Beast Boy?" Raven called, the worry somewhat evident in her usual monotone voice.

He shifted back to his semi-normal self and shouted from underneath the thick covers, "GO AWAY!" Even though the noise was muffled underneath the thick comforter, the anger was still clear in his sob-shaken voice. 

"Beast Boy, please!" she replied, now sounding extremely sincere. "I just want to talk! Please let me in!" She pressed he ear against the freezing door, hoping for a kinder response.

"I'm not getting up, so don't try to force me to come out." Beast Boy said pausing. "... But you can come in ... If you want to be in the presence of the biggest loser in the universe."

"Beast Boy, you're not a loser," she said, eyes closed as she entered the room and let the door close behind her. She opened her eyes only to see the lump curled on Terra's old bed that was Beast Boy. The only way you could tell it was him was his forest green hair and his fang that stuck out of his mouth. His joyful smile was gone. His eyes were red, puffy and full of sorrow. His pointed ears drooped heavily from the hurting words they had heard. His face was paler that usual and completely tear stained. He only stuck his head out of his covering when he had heard the door swish open. His face was that of another; sullen and cold, replacing his usual perky attitude. He was completely not himself, looking up from underneath the covers, as she sat down next to him. He sat up, now only remnants of his lumpish form remained, but he still was hidden under Terra's old comforter.

"Why do you think that you're a loser?" Raven asked, attempting to look into his averting eyes. He let out a hollow laugh, much unlike his own.

"In what ways am I NOT a loser?" he replied.

Raven's eyes softened. "You're kind, understanding, always trying to help others, compassionate, loyal, friendly, strong, thoughtful, likeable-"

"Raven, don't you know that nice guys finish last?" Beast Boy scoffed. "And by the way, lover is one letter away from loser."

"Champ is one letter away from chump and that one letter makes a hell of a difference there," she said sourly. "And you know lover and loner are pretty close in spelling and are they almost the same?" 

"Well, loner is pretty close to loser..." Beast Boy replied, still trying to prove his point but failing.

"Beast Boy, you've got a ton of friends and a huge fan base. I wouldn't call that a loser. Especially considering your ideas have save the world at least 3 times, which kind of makes the world love you. If you didn't have a ton of fans before, I'm sure you do now."

"So what did you come here to talk about?" Beast Boy said, trying to steer away from his failing argument.

"Oh," Raven replied, pausing. " I came here to try and make you feel better and get you to eat something." She pointed to the covered tray of food she had sitting in her lap.

"You forgot why you came, didn't you?" Beast Boy asked challengingly, smiling and wiggling his eyebrows. Raven went red from both her annoyance that he would be so stupid to think that she would forget and of her embarrassment of going so far off topic.

"Of course not!" she hissed, although trying not to makes her words full of malice; she finally had him in a semi-good mood. "I was just annoyed we got so sidetracked, that's all."

"Sure" Beast Boy replied sarcastically, unconvinced of her claim. She glared only to hide the fact that she was actually happy that she had taken his mind off Terra.

"I made you this," Raven said, pushing the covered tray with the food she had delicately prepared for him into his line of vision. He took his hands out from under the comforter and took the tray. He opened the lid and took a long whiff of the garlic and vodka sauce's delightful smell. He examined the meticulously prepared angel hair pasta and well tossed Caesar salad. The scents and sights induced a pang of hunger in his stomach, but he had to say something to try to and convince her otherwise.

"It looks absolutely delicious! But-"

"No buts." Raven interjected. "You have to take one bite of everything and a sip of that root beer. Or, I won't give you this." She waved his favorite hand-held video game in front of his nose. With one hand, he held his super in his lap and with the other he made a grab for his game. She held it just out of his reach. Her plan was working.

"You've become crafty," Beast Boy said with a glare.

"We can't have you starving yourself, now can we?" Raven replied coyly. He uttered a bit of a growl and she gave him a sly smile.

"You better not have put any meat in this..." he growled.

"Of course not." She replied. "Azar forbid you actually get some protein." She added sarcastically. He glared again.

"Fine," he said, still glairing. He picked up the fork she had on the tray for him, twirled a small bit of angel hair pasta through it and took a bite. His eyes widened from the taste. He swallowed; his mouth now agape, staring at the food Raven had made for him. "That was the most..." Raven bit her lip, knowing the criticism of her cooking was about to begin. "... Tasty pasta... that I've ever tried... that hadn't been made in a restaurant. Hell, it even tops some of those." Raven's eyes widened and her mouth dropped further than what would be thought as humanly possible. She was in shock of the gracious complement he had given her.  
"You... actually think... it's ... good?" she asked, still extremely astounded.

"Yeah, great even," he replied, carefully twirling his fork in the pasta again to take another. "The spices are well distributed and the pasta is not overcooked or undercooked." He stuffed large forkful in his mouth and began twirling some more on his utensil.

"You're actually eating my cooking... Boy this is a shock." She said shaking her head. "I though you were going to spit it out and tell me I haven't improved." 

"No, you've improved vastly," He replied, swallowing his forkful.

"You're just trying to butter me up," she said skeptically.

"Seriously, it's really good." He replied, spinning his utensil in the pasta again. " Okay, maybe I exaggerated on the part about the restaurants, but it's better than Pizza Hut's."

"Gee, that's a real self-esteem booster," she retorted sarcastically.

"It was a joke Raven," He said, putting down his fork and staring at her apologetically.

"I know, but I didn't find it funny." She replied. Well at least I got him joking around again, Raven thought. She looked at Beast Boy's plate and saw that the pasta she had made was half gone. She knew once Beast Boy started eating something, someone would have to be extremely persuasive in order to get him to stop. He still had left the salad, garlic bread, and root beer untouched. "You know, you're not gonna get your videogame unless you try the salad."

"Oh..." he replied. "I was so busy eating that delicious pasta that I forgot about the other stuff, which is probably very tasty too." He gave a sheepish grin at his absentmindedness.

"The only reason you find it so good is because you haven't had a thing to eat all day," She retorted.

"Of course not. You've gotten much better. I mean seriously those pancakes you made before the end of the world were..." He paused realizing that he just starting himself a hole that he would have to be very careful to quickly get himself out of. "Umm... well... err... let's just say they needed... uh... improvement?" He bit his lip, hoping that he had not enraged his kind cook.

"Don't worry about it," She replied. " I know my cooking sucked before. Cyborg is bluntly honest when it comes to such things and I can't blame him for the comments he made that day."

"So, how did you make this so delicious?" Beast Boy asked, hoping to get Raven's secret recipe, or at least encourage her to cook more often since she had improved so much.

"Well, traveling around the world does allow you to see lots of things, and I happened to come across a few cookbooks. One being a basic blend of culinary delights, another being a meat lovers cookbook, and the final one being vegan lover's." Raven replied matter-of-factly.

"You've also been watching cooking shows, haven't you?" Beast Boy asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Well, after the end of what we thought to be the end of the world, and before we went off to fight the Brotherhood of Evil, I did watch a show or too for some tips." She replied.

"Well all I can say is 'thank you vegan lover's cookbook and cooking shows; you have made my life a better place!'" he joked, giving a mocking salute. She pushed playfully at his arm, not giving in to his teasing. "I'm just joking Raven; I know that you can do a lot when you put your mind to it."

"Thank you for at least giving me SOME credit," she replied, letting a small smile slip on her usual emotionless face.

"You're quite welcome," he said with a grin. Raven broadened her smile. She was so glad that she had changed Beast Boy from a tear-wracked mess to pretty much his old self.

"Well, are you gonna eat my 'vastly improved' food, or just talk about it? You haven't touched the salad." Raven pointed out.

"Don't worry, your cooking has enticed my appetite." He replied. He picked up his fork and licked it clean. He didn't like mixing the tastes of vodka sauce and Caesar salad dressing. He stuck his utensil in the salad bowl and scooped out a forkful with a crouton and a large amount of lettuce. He stuffed the forkful in his mouth.

"Hmm." Beast Boy said chewing.

"Well?" Raven asked, curious as to his opinion.

"Well..." he said, successfully making Raven nervous. "It's very good, but..." he paused trying to add more suspense and wrack on her nerves, but all he did was get her annoyed. This was made quite clear because she folded her arms and gave him her all-too-famous death glare. "Alright, alright," Beast Boy said, finally letting his little game die. "It's very good, the salad is well mixed, but you put in a bit too much dressing in. It overpowers the crunchiness of the croutons."

"Well, now I know not to put in as much dressing as it calls for when it comes to salad." Raven replied, not hurt by his words; she was inexperienced when it came to cooking.

"A cook's personally touch always helps. Following directions exactly sometimes doesn't work. My suggestion is before serving food, take a taste to see if it needs a bit more of something, or it needs to be cooked more." Beast Boy informed her.

"Personal touch," Raven replied, taking mental note of it. "Got to remember that one."

"Yup, just listen to the master when it comes to cooking." Beast Boy said between bites of salad and pasta.

"And that would be who, exactly?" Raven teased. Beast Boy gave her a playful push. She closed her eyes and let another smile slip past her defenses.

"You're harsh," he replied to her obnoxious comment.

"Thank you," She said smiling. Beast Boy gave her a funny look. "I'm just kidding, Beast Boy. Jeez, for the king of bad jokes you certainly don't know how to take one."

"That's not true; I just don't appreciate jokes about my cooking." He replied defensively.

"You've become mister sensitive." She informed him.

"I have not." He retorted.

"Yes you have." She replied.

"Nuh-uh" He snapped.

"God Beast Boy, you lead a team that saves an entire generation of heroes and now you're acting like a four year old." She replied matter-of-factly.

"What can I say," Beast Boy explained. "Growing up is overrated." He shoveled down the last of his food and downed the last of his root beer with extreme speed. He moved the tray down on the opposite side than Raven was sitting and stood up, throwing the covers off him. He stretched; he had been lying down since yesterday evening and that had made him very stiff. Raven looked at him wide eyed. He was standing up straight, his ears were weren't sagging anymore, his face had it's usual hue, his eyes had their old sparkle again and his smile was back. She had done it. She had ended Beast Boy's depression. He looked at her puzzled expression. "What?" Beast Boy said uncomprehending. "Oh right, my hair probably looks like crap cause I haven't washed it all day." Raven sighed at his cluelessness. Beast Boy's eyes widened, suddenly realizing something. He ran over to Terra's old desk pulling out her old mirror. "Oh no, oh no, oh no!" He said looking at his reflection. "Shit. I GOT ZITS!" This is so aggravating. I gotta go shower; I CAN'T BE SEEN LIKE THIS!" Beast was heading for the door and it swung open. He was about to rush out but he had to say something first. "Thanks for the dinner Raven! He rushed out the door to get himself cleaned up. Raven smiled.

"Beast Boy's back."


End file.
